Cornwall Airport Newquay is expanding its commercial revenue through a unique offering: enabling a testing environment for drones and spacecraft, as Nigel Scott, Commercial Director, exclusively tells International Airport Review.
Aviation beyond traditional modes of flying is rapidly changing. With recent developments of future flight technologies and drones, the need for testing on airfields has risen. Cornwall Newquay Airport sits on a unique opportunity to profit from this demand.
Nigel Scott, Commercial Director, Cornwall Airport Newquay explains: “Cornwall Council owns the airport and had already invested in Spaceport Cornwall. The thinking was simple: if we have this excellent capability, how else can we use it?”
Effectively, Newquay is turning one of its perceived weaknesses - a relatively low volume of passenger traffic - into a strength, by creating space for innovation and growth.
Cornwall Airport Newquay is now able to offer a drone testing environment to develop and certify next-generation autonomous systems, from small-scale drones through to supersonic uncrewed vehicles.
Covering around 650 acres of land, Cornwall Airport Newquay has plenty of space across its estate for testing. The site also has military capability as the home of RAF St Mawgan, which means it has extensive infrastructure, taxiways and available land.
The airport’s operational gaps will also allow it to support activities such as vertical take-off (VTOL) aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) and drone testing.
Everything we do is regulated and approved by the CAA.”
Newquay is the UK’s only airport with a licensed horizontal space launch site and one of a small number of designated space facilities in Europe.
What makes Cornwall attractive is that it is not a densely populated urban environment.
“Naturally you don’t want drones operating over heavily populated areas. We can provide a safe environment for development and testing,” states Scott.
Much of Europe, as well, has highly congested airspace. Cornwall, by comparison, provides access to relatively uncongested airspace over the Atlantic.
As aircraft or drones climb, they are not immediately entering heavily trafficked flight corridors. This gives Newquay flexibility and creates opportunities that many other airports simply cannot offer.
Testing the future
Originally, the Spaceport programme was focused on supporting only space launch activities, but the same operational environment also enables the development of a broader ecosystem around both space and future flight technologies.
Scott notes how testing works alongside passenger operations:
“The reality is that we are able to plan around our flight schedule. During those periods we will be able to schedule drone launches and testing activities.”
Newquay currently has companies actively operating within the space and future flight ecosystem, and is speaking with a number of other interested parties in the sector.
What’s interesting is that the airport has found that once one company joins, they often introduce partners and suppliers they work with. That creates a collaborative “cluster” environment where organisations can share expertise and develop products together.
With this approach Newquay has successfully established an on-site cluster of like-minded businesses and associated regional partnerships, which is itself part of the much larger Cornwall Space Cluster. There is a range of flexible options for incoming businesses from simply renting a desk, to larger offices and laboratories, as well as airside and landside development opportunities.
Some are international organisations that have established operations in Cornwall, while others are local businesses that have expanded and relocated to the airport.
“We also have companies specialising in advanced composite materials. These businesses support sectors including Formula One, aerospace and drone manufacturing, all of which rely heavily on lightweight materials,” says Scott.
Newquay was the first UK spaceport to obtain a licence. This same team is now continuing to work with the CAA to understand the approvals needed to enable drone and future flight operations from the site.
The more expertise, businesses and infrastructure we build, the more attractive the location becomes to other organisations.”
At the moment, all operations are conducted under Visual Line of Sight rules, meaning the drone is never out of sight of the operator. The aircraft are monitored and integrated into airport operations, so they coexist without creating issues.
A very busy airport would struggle to accommodate this type of activity, but Newquay’s operating environment allows them to do so safely.
The next stage for the airport is pursuing Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations, which would allow drones to operate further away from the pilot. Naturally, that requires even greater oversight and safety measures.
One airport, multiple income streams
Passenger services remain important for Newquay, but regional airports generally don’t generate huge profits solely from passenger operations. Activities such as leasing facilities, supporting technology companies and attracting investment help diversify revenue streams.
Scott also explains how companies become attracted to the airport and the opportunities it could provide: “We are also working closely in partnership with regional drone facilitation providers to understand the wider opportunities here to integrate drone operations alongside scheduled commercial aviation services.
“Together this gives us a unique capability that complements what already exists in Cornwall.”
These activities contribute to the airport’s financial sustainability while also supporting employment, business growth and economic development across Cornwall.
Reflecting on the long-term vision, Scott remarks that: “We believe there is a genuine first-mover advantage.
“The more expertise, businesses and infrastructure we build, the more attractive the location becomes to other organisations.”
There’s significant overlap between the needs of the space sector and future flight technologies. Cornwall Airport Newquay clearly sees those sectors developing together and reinforcing each other’s growth and its own.
About the interviewee
Nigel Scott is Interim Commercial Director at Cornwall Airport Newquay, where he leads the airport’s commercial strategy, aviation growth and route development activities. He is responsible for expanding airline partnerships, securing new routes and strengthening regional connectivity, while also supporting the airport’s ambitious Spaceport programme. With more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning aviation, infrastructure and consumer brands, including senior roles at Bristol Airport, Dyson, Unilever and Kärcher, Nigel brings extensive expertise in commercial growth, strategic partnerships and business development.
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